Giles was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a contusion of the right knee, an injury he suffered a week ago Tuesday night when he went hard into the first-base bag in an unsuccessful attempt to beat a double-play relay.

The injury is to the same knee on which Giles had micro-fracture surgery after the 2007 season. He missed 34 games on the disabled list in 2007 after injuring the knee against a metal gate in right field at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

“He had a little bit of the same feeling in the knee that he had in 2007,” Padres manager Bud Black said Tuesday.

“We were hoping that he would have improved from last Friday until now. But there hasn't been a great deal of improvement.”

Giles was placed on the disabled list retroactive to last Friday, meaning he is eligible to return July 4.

The 38-year-old Giles has been the center of controversy ever since the Padres picked up his $9 million option last November rather than buying out the last year of his contract at $3 million.

Last year, Giles hit .306 with a .398 on-base percentage, although his home run total dropped for a fifth straight season to 12, his lowest total for a full season in the major leagues.

This year, however, Giles is batting .191 after 225 at-bats with an on-base percentage of .277. And he is hitting only .136 against left-handed pitchers with a .160 slugging percentage and .213 on-base percentage. He hit .301 against left-handed pitchers last season.

Even before he injured his knee, Giles had not been in the lineup against some tougher left-handers.

Giles was 1-for-15 since reaching .200 on June 12 for the first time since April 11.

Kyle Blanks reports no ill effects from running face-first into the left-field fence at Petco Park in the first inning Sunday while catching a drive off the bat of the A's Adam Kennedy.

“It's the first time in left that I hit a wall like that,” said Blanks. “It's not a good feeling, but I think I'm better off for it.

“I now know I can go in there like that and come out OK.”

Blanks said the collision left his neck and elbow “a little sore.”

“I didn't notice that until I dived for that ball later in the game,” he said. “My neck hurt after the jolt of hitting the ground.”

The two games over the weekend against the A's brings to 17 the total number of games Blanks has played in left field as a professional.

“All I can say is that when I got out there, I discovered it's a lot different than I thought it would be,” said Blanks. “There's a lot more going on. It's not as easy as it looked.”

“I like what I see,” Black said of Blanks. “He's a confident guy. He's athletic. He wants to make it work.”

Tuesday night Blanks was back in the lineup as the designated hitter, although Black said Blanks will play some at first this week to give Adrian Gonzalez a chance to get off his feet. When that happens, Gonzalez will DH.

Injury update

Young is working in the training room, but has not picked up a ball yet. Gregerson is throwing, but not from off the mound. Hundley should be ready to return from the disabled list on his earliest possible activation date (July 2).